Samuel Brannan, a real estate developer, opened the Hot Springs Resort in Calistoga in 1862. It catered to the rich and famous with Victorian style cottages and a specially built trainline from Napa. Business dropped off in the 1880s and didn’t recover until the 1920s with the advent of the automobile.
Ben Sharpsteen first visited his grandparent’s property in Calistoga in 1903 when he was 7. He spent summers there for the next 12 years before starting his career as a film animator. By 1929 he was working as an animator, director, and producer for Walt Disney. He worked on 50 films and won 11 Oscars. He retired in 1959 to his family’s property in Calistoga and, as a hobby, made a model of the resort town as it looked in the 1860s. To display his model Sharpsteen built the museum and donated it to the town.
The museum is small but nicely done and covers many topics including Native Americans, the story of Samuel Brannan, and the early history of the town. One of three surviving cottages adjoins the museum and is furnished with period items.
The museum is accessible. The model town is too high to be easily seen from a seated position.
The parking lot is small so large RVs should be parked on the street.
Museum 38.57879, -122.5804
Cool museum (we've also been there). Calistoga is a fun town. Don't forget to stop at the "other" Old Faithful!
ReplyDeleteWe liked the little museum but skipped Old Faithful based on reviews. Hmmm,maybe we should have gone?
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